I wrote an article recently about rethinking summer vacation; as in, hopping off the “have to go somewhere far away to have fun” bus and taking a shorter ride to the local destinations we never have time to stop and enjoy. That article got me analyzing my own local attractions.
I live outside of St. Louis. In my little town, there isn’t just a whole slew of amazing things to see and do. There’s a grocery store, a city park, a few caves from the quarry days, and a history museum. Hmm, that will take, oh, one afternoon.
But, within an hour’s drive in all directions there are lots of things I haven’t seen. St. Louis City itself is packed with great restaurants, parks, museums, clubs, and shops. We have nature reserves, bluffs, rivers, campgrounds, and miles of hiking trails and bike paths. Our architecture is awesome, there are at least ten great restaurants I’ve been wanting to try, and there are always bands playing somewhere.
I bet your city isn’t that different. I don’t even live in the city, and you might not either. You may be more than half an hour away, but most of us live within some big city’s reach. And every big city has a reserve of tourist destinations. Thing is, you don’t have to be an out-of-town tourist to enjoy them.
Do a little research for your area. Pretend you’re coming in for a week-long conference, and you’ll have afternoons and evenings off and then a whole weekend before you go back home. What would you do? Where would you stay? Where would you eat? What would you take pictures of?
I bet your very own area has enough can’t-miss sites to keep you busy for a week of summer vacation.
- Start planning your local fun by visiting one of About.com’s City/Town Guides. There are not sites for every city or town, but they do cover a lot. I just looked through the one for St. Louis and found out about free movies, free admission to the Magic House, Family Sundays at the Art Museum, and free concerts at the Botanical Gardens.
With all the money I save going free and local, I can afford a few really nice meals.Image Credits: Wolfgang Staudt.
- Annie | My Bio & Articles
I love bare feet, Dr. Bronner's, cotton skirts, summer rain, winter snow, new places, open-minded people, deep conversations. I had a (short-lived) natural products company while I was in college: The Full Nelson Natural Products...
